THE NEXT ICE AGE - NOW!

9 Oct 02 - Astronomers today said Pluto is undergoing
global warming in its thin atmosphere even as it moves farther from the
Sun on its long, odd-shaped orbit.

Pluto's atmospheric pressure has tripled over the past 14 years,
indicating a stark temperature rise, the researchers said. The change is
likely a seasonal event, much as seasons on Earth change as the
hemispheres alter their inclination to the Sun during the planet's
annual orbit.

They suspect the average surface temperature increased about 3.5
degrees Fahrenheit, or slightly less than 2 degrees Celsius.

Pluto remains a mysterious world whose secrets are no so easily
explained, however. The warming could be fueled by some sort of eruptive
activity on the small planet, one astronomer speculated.

Though Pluto was closest to the Sun in 1989, a warming trend 13 years
later does not surprise David Tholen, a University of Hawaii astronomer
involved in the discovery.

"It takes time for materials to warm up and cool off, which is
why the hottest part of the day on Earth is usually around 2 or 3 p.m.
rather than local noon," Tholen said. "This warming trend on
Pluto could easily last for another 13 years."